Mighty Miss brews imported from the Delta

Dozens of area beer enthusiasts came out for Sippin' Saturday at Lucky Town Brewing Company in Jackson.
Justin Sellers/The Clarion-Ledger

Created by Mighty Miss Brewmaster Scott Hettig, their fifth recipe is named for the unincorporated community of Kinlock near the Sunflower/Washington counties border. Other beers are named for Greenville, Sledge, Pace and Onward.(Photo: Mighty Miss Brewery/Special to The Clarion-Ledger)

Publisher and home brewer Jon Alverson is not a native of the Mississippi Delta. But with the opening of a new brewery and tap room, he’s clearly making his mark on the historic city of Greenville.

Since 2013, Alverson, who migrated from Olive Branch and is originally from Mobile, has been at the helm of the Delta Democrat Times newspaper. But for the last 10 years, he’s been busy creating and perfecting his own craft beers and sharing them with others.

“I like beer and I like making things. And my wife bought me a home brew set for Christmas one year, and that started the whole thing,” Alverson said. “The first beer I made was horrible. Then I started researching what it takes to make a decent beer. And it took a year before the beer I was making was something people would share.”

Since that time, and in conjunction with the revitalization project in downtown Greenville, Alverson has opened Mighty Miss Brewing Company — the first of its kind in the Mississippi Delta. He’s created several craft brew recipes, four of which he’s distributing to restaurants and bars throughout the state. A fifth, created by Mighty Miss Brew Master Scott Hettig, was released in August.

COMING SUNDAY: GREENVILLE RESTORATION HONORS VISION OF LATE MAYOR

While Alverson’s craft beers had gained a loyal following in the Delta, his intentions never involved “going pro” and opening a brewery, until he was invited by businessman Bill Boykin to join the restoration effort.

“Especially in my job as a newspaper publisher, we’re always advocating for revitalization of our community and downtown area. And building a business that invites people from outside of the community to spend money in your community is the real route to economic development,” Alverson said. “And that’s kind of what we’ve done here with the brewery. We didn’t chop up something that was already happening. We’re creating a new market by building a product that is sold throughout the entire state.”

Founded in 2015, the Mighty Miss Brewing Company was financed by civic-minded individuals so committed to rebuilding and investing in their community, most of them never sampled the product. But confident in Alverson as the founder and operating partner, they have primal vision — like Boykin and the Mayor Chuck Jordan before him — to make the city of Greenville great again.

Mighty Miss Brewery officially opened its doors in downtown Greenville on July 1. Mighty Miss was founded by Jon Alverson and financed by private investors.(Photo: Mighty Miss Brewery/Special to The Clarion-Ledger)

“That really was the whole philosophy behind the company,” said Mighty Miss Marketing Consultant Melia Christensen. “So, there’s a lot of heart behind it and our founder who spent a lot of time developing these recipes. And there’s a lot of heart behind the investors and the space that we’ve built here.”

Mighty Miss Brewery was open for business on July 1 following a positive shift in legislation for craft breweries, formerly known as microbreweries. Prior to the passing of House Bill 1322, Mississippi was the only state that didn’t allow its breweries to sell their own product, a restriction proponents of craft beers tried to lift for 10 years. Unlike brew pubs, whose business model, like restaurants, is to attract as many patrons as possible and sell their beer onsite, the main focus of a brewery is to manufacture and distribute.

“People tend to get that confused a lot,” Christensen said. “But we are, to be clear, a brewery and not a brew pub. If you wanted to go into a brewery and try the products being manufactured there, you had to take a tour and you were limited to 36 ounces of beer during any one visit. Now, with the passing of this legislation, you can go into a tap room, sit down at the bar and order a beer just like you can anywhere else.”

The Tap Room at Mighty Miss is open four days — 10 hours a week. The bar seats 40 and the facility also hosts corporate and social events. Besides Hettig, it employs several part-timers as bartenders. And twice a week, customers can tour the brewery and observe the brewmaking process.

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The brewhouse at Mighty Miss Brewery churns out five original craft beers that are "Imported from the Delta" and distributed throughout the state. Four recipes were created by founder Jon Alverson, and a fifth by full-time brewmaster Scott Hettig. Each of their beers is named for small towns in the Mississippi Delta. Courtesy of Mighty Miss Brewery

Created by Mighty Miss Brewmaster Scott Hettig, their fifth recipe is named for the unincorporated community of Kinlock near the Sunflower/Washington counties border. Other beers are named for Greenville, Sledge, Pace and Onward. Courtesy of Mighty Miss Brewery

Bill Boykin's mixed-use facility, The Lofts at 517, features luxurious hotel rooms for extended stay patrons. Boykin said the rooms are ideal for the numerous festivals held in the area including the Hot Tamale and Blues Festivals. Monica Land/For The Clarion-Ledger

AFTER PHOTO: AFTER PHOTO: Bill Boykin's mixed-use facility, The Lofts at 517, features luxurious hotel rooms for extended stay patrons. Boykin said the rooms are ideal for the numerous festivals held in the area including the Hot Tamale and Blues Festivals. Courtesy of The Loft at 517

BEFORE PHOTO: Bill Boykin's mixed-use facility, The Lofts at 517, features luxurious hotel rooms for extended stay patrons. Boykin said the rooms are ideal for the numerous festivals held in the area including the Hot Tamale and Blues Festivals. Monica Land/For The Clarion-Ledger

AFTER PHOTO: Bill Boykin's mixed-use facility, The Lofts at 517, features luxurious hotel rooms for extended stay patrons. Boykin said the rooms are ideal for the numerous festivals held in the area including the Hot Tamale and Blues Festivals. Courtesy of The Lofts at 517

AFTER PHOTO: AFTER PHOTO: Bill Boykin's mixed-use facility, The Lofts at 517, features luxurious hotel rooms for extended stay patrons. Boykin said the rooms are ideal for the numerous festivals held in the area including the Hot Tamale and Blues Festivals. Courtesy of The Lofts at 517

AFTER PHOTO: Bill Boykin's mixed-use facility, The Lofts at 517, features luxurious hotel rooms for extended stay patrons. Boykin said the rooms are ideal for the numerous festivals held in the area including the Hot Tamale and Blues Festivals. Courtesy of The Lofts at 517

Businessman Bill Boykin stands behind the bar at the newly opened Downtown Grille. The upscale restaurant is owned and operated by Boykin and his cousin Allen Sanders. Monica Land/For The Clarion-Ledger

Stein Mart Square, located just steps away from the Lofts, Downtown Grille and Mighty Miss Brewery, honors the opening of the first store by Sam Stein in 1908. Several events are held at the park throughout the year including various musical festivals. Special to The Clarion-Ledger

Stein Mart Square, located just steps away from the Lofts, Downtown Grille and Mighty Miss Brewery, honors the opening of the first store by Sam Stein in 1908. Several events are held at the park throughout the year including various musical festivals. Special to The Clarion-Ledger

Developer Bill Boykin (left) and Cary Karlson (left) of the Washington County Economic Alliance, are pictured in an area that will party be used as a storage unit area for tenants of The Lofts at 517. Monica Land/For The Clarion-Ledger

BEFORE PHOTO: The Lofts at 517 is located in the historic Sears Roebuck and Co. building constructed in the 1940s. This stairwell, original to the building, was repainted for the project. Monica Land/For The Clarion-Ledger

AFTER PHOTO: The Lofts at 517 is located in the historic Sears Roebuck and Co. building constructed in the 1940s. This stairwell, original to the building, was repainted for the project. Monica Land/For The Clarion-Ledger

AFTER PHOTO: The Lofts at 517 is located in the historic Sears Roebuck and Co. building constructed in the 1940s. This stairwell, original to the building, was repainted for the project. Monica Land/For The Clarion-Ledger

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“Folks around here have never seen a brewery, and they’re learning what it’s all about,” said Christensen. “And it’s also unique in the world of craft breweries because we’re not off in the industrial district somewhere. We’re right in the heart of downtown and operating the manufacturing facility in the heart of downtown.”

Distribution accounts for 90 percent of the sales at Mighty Miss Brewing Company, and future plans include shipping to other states.

Even so, while craft breweries around the country have proliferated, including Louisiana with 26, Alabama with 28 and Tennessee with 66, Mississippi seems to be at a standstill with nine. According to the Mississippi Brewers Association, California leads the nation with 623 and Washington staggers behind with 334.

Christensen said in a state that favors traditional beers, the challenge for Mighty Miss is to acquaint consumers with a new taste experience.

“Mississippi tends to be behind the curve when it comes to the craft beer movement,” Christensen said. “So, we’ve done a lot of consumer education to introduce them to what craft beer is like. And we’ve also been very thoughtful and strategic about the products we’re putting out so they are palatable to the mainstream beer consumer. And that’s important to us. We want to brew premium and simple beers that are easy to drink. You don’t have to love craft beer to love Mighty Miss.”

Prior to the July 1 opening, Mighty Miss participated in the fourth annual World’s Smallest Home Brew Festival in Greenville, which Alverson helps to organize. They drew a desired crowd of about 100.

The brewhouse at Mighty Miss Brewery churns out five original craft beers that are "Imported from the Delta" and distributed throughout the state. Four recipes were created by founder Jon Alverson, and a fifth by full-time brewmaster Scott Hettig. Each of their beers is named for small towns in the Mississippi Delta.(Photo: Mighty Miss Brewery/Special to The Clarion-Ledger)

Christensen said, however, their Tap Room is more about the “experience” and the “opportunity for consumers to connect with their brand” more so than a driver for their business model.

“It’s really important for us to have that Delta brand, that ‘Made in Greenville’ for what we’re putting out there,” she said. “There’s a lot of stigma around this area. Folks kind of look down on the Delta and we want to show there’s some really innovative and positive things coming out of this area. Our slogan is ‘Imported from the Delta.’”

Demonstrating that regional pride, Mighty Miss names it beers after small towns in the Delta.

“It’s about the authenticity of this place and how meaningful it is that our product is coming out of here as opposed to somewhere else,” Christensen said. “So, more than anything else, that’s really what we want to see as the opportunity of manufacturing something here and exporting it to the rest of the world.”